Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
by awomanontheverge
Summary: Emma takes Regina and Henry to have their picture taken with Santa for the first time.


Blinking up at the array of twenty foot ornaments hanging from the ceiling, Regina Mills entered the heart of the shopping complex with a sense of wonder. The reflection of the giant red balls twinkled in her eyes along with the glimmer of the white and blue lights strung from the fifty foot Christmas tree in the center of the room. With her mouth slightly agape, Regina craned her neck to take in the full sights of the bustling space.

When Emma and Mary Margaret had returned from their escapade in The Enchanted Forest, the final limitations of the curse had been broken, allowing the citizens of Storybrooke to come and go as they pleased. They'd arrived home at the beginning of the Christmas season, the first few flurries of snow greeting them and sending the town bustling with excitement. All the fairytale creatures had decided to make this Christmas the most memorable, having been particularly grateful to have their loved ones with them once more.

And when Emma heard that neither Henry nor Regina had ever gone to a shopping mall during Christmas to see Santa, she immediately had to rectify it, much to Regina's hesitation.

Mesmerized by the glitter painted snowflakes hanging from the second story, Regina was overcome with awe and excitement. "What exactly do you call this place?" she asked, squeezing Henry's hand.

"It's a shopping mall." Emma brushed her shoulder playfully against the brunette's. "You've really never been to one?"

Regina shook her head. "It reminds me of the marketplaces in Fairytale Land. I haven't been to one since I was a child." She turned her head over her shoulder to catch a glimpse of a toy train chugging away on a circular track outside of a toy store. Preoccupied, she didn't notice the swarm of teenagers rushing their way, and she gasped when she was practically bowled over by two scraggly boys.

"Watch where you're going, lady!" one teen barked.

"Merry Christmas, assholes!" Emma yelled, squeezing her son's other hand to stifle the need to flash her middle finger.

Regina blinked, shocked, before smoothing the newly formed wrinkles out of her skirt and clenching her jaw.

"Are you ok?" Emma asked.

"Yes, I'm fine." Regina flicked her hair confidently and sniffed. "I-"

"Woah, Ma, look!" Henry gasped, tugging at his adopted mother's hand before pointing to the other side of the mall toward the arrangement of Santa Claus and his elves. "Is that where we get our pictures taken?"

Unsure, Regina turned her gaze toward Emma, who smiled and nodded excitedly. "Mhm. We gotta wait in line, and if you're good, you get to sit on Santa's lap and tell him what you want for Christmas." The blonde ruffled her son's hair. "Then they take your picture."

Henry's eyes lit up. Grinning, he pulled away from his mothers' grasp and bolted for the line.

Emma shook her head, laughing. Regina, in turn, scowled. "Henry!" she hissed, lunging forward on four inch heels before she felt a slight pull of her forearm.

"He's excited, let him be."

Regina sighed.

"Come on, guys!" Henry called, bouncing up and down and nodding his head toward the Santa in the center of the complex.

Together, Regina and Emma walked over to where Henry was in line. As soon as she approached her son, the brunette smoothed out his hair and straightened the collar of his shirt, smiling down warmly at him. "You look very handsome, Henry."

"Thanks," Henry grumbled, pulling away from his mother's grasp. As the line slowly moved, his view of Santa was hindered, and he moved to his tiptoes to catch a glimpse of the jolly old man.

"What are you going to ask Santa for?" Emma asked, trying to distract the bustling boy.

"Em-ma," he groaned, "I can't say it to you guys. I can only tell Santa. _Duh_." He rolled his eyes and took a few steps forward as the line grew shorter.

Regina bit the inside of her cheek to stifle a laugh.

"Well, _my_ bad," the blonde replied with a chuckle, raising her arms in mock defense.

An awkward silence washed over them as the wait dragged on and Regina found herself unconsciously staring at the blonde across from her. Characteristically ratty curls were pulled into a tight up do on the top of her head, and silver hoops hung from her earlobes. Both shimmered beneath the combined glow of the incandescent lights above and the shine of the Christmas bulbs, gold tendrils giving the illusion of a halo. A tan colored dress hung deliciously onto her body, peppered with patterned poinsettias. Regina smiled. When she wanted to, Emma Swan cleaned up nicely.

"Do I have something on my face?" Emma asked, noticing Regina's stare.

The brunette blushed. "Oh, uh, no, you just.." She cleared her throat.

Emma grinned and winked in understanding. "Mhm."

"Ms. Swan, I-"

"It's time!" Henry squealed, grabbing both of his mothers' hands to drag them to where one of the elves was pointing.

"Merry Christmas!" the girl greeted, bending slightly to meet Henry's level. "Are you ready to meet Santa?"

The boy nodded excitedly and jumped onto Santa's lap. Emma and Regina followed suit, standing a few paces behind to give Henry some privacy.

Or at least, that's the façade they tried to give, as both women craned their necks to try and hear their son's Christmas wish.

"Merry Christmas Henry," Santa greeted. "Have you been a good boy this year?"

Henry nodded vigorously.

"Very good. And what would you like for Christmas, my dear boy?"

Henry sucked in a deep breath and began.

"What's he saying?" Regina whispered, gripping Emma's arm and craning her neck.

"I dunno. Listen."

"My moms" – Henry nodded over to where Regina and Emma stood – "they fight. A lot. But, I think, if they look beyond that, they'd realize that they really love each other. For Christmas, I want my moms to get along. I want them to realize that they love each other and that we're one big family. We're kinda weird, with an Evil Queen and a Savior and a Prince." He tilted his head to the side. "But we're a pretty cool family." He accented his request with a toothy grin.

With tears tickling her eyes, Regina turned her head and caught Emma's gaze, which was also glassy and tear filled. The brunette hadn't realized how close she'd pressed her body against the blonde's as they had strained to hear their son, but in that moment, it felt comfortable – it felt right.

"Well, Henry," Santa finally said, "that is a lovely Christmas wish. If you love your mothers with all your heart and listen to what they have to say, I'm sure your wish will come true. Are you ready for your picture?"

"Wait!" Henry exclaimed, jumping off Santa's lap to grab both his mothers' hands. "You guys gotta be in it too."

Regina and Emma both laughed and positioned themselves behind Santa's large chair while Henry returned to his seat on the jolly old man's knees.

"Say cheese!" the elf squealed, squinting her eyes to look through the camera lens.

"Cheese!" Henry giggled excitedly.

Behind Santa's throne, Regina grabbed Emma's hand and laced their fingers together, giving the younger woman's palm a little squeeze before whispering, "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Regina."

Turning their heads in unison, the paired smiled widely.


End file.
